Particularly medical instruments of complex design, such as magnetic resonance instruments, can have different equipment features depending on application. Thus, by way of example, a flexible coil assembly is used for orthopedic examinations with a magnetic resonance instrument (cf. Morneburg (ed.), Bildgebende Systeme für die medizinische Diagnostik [Imaging systems for medical diagnostics], Publicis MSD Verlag, Erlangen, 3rd edition 1995, pages 538-540). For a shoulder examination, however, there is also a special surface coil available, which, for a shoulder examination, can be positioned on a patient who is to be examined more quickly and easily than the flexible coil assembly. Increased investment costs as a result of using the special surface coil mean that it only makes economic sense to purchase the special surface coil if the magnetic resonance instrument is used to carry out a relatively large number of shoulder examinations, however.
If a salesperson now wishes to sell special equipment, such as the special surface coil, to an operator of the magnetic resonance instrument, or of an instrument generally, he needs to contact the operator in order to offer the special equipment to him. For many operators, however, there is no economic value in purchasing the special equipment. They therefore do not wish to purchase the special equipment, and the salesperson could have spared himself contacting them. The time which the salesperson spent contacting the operator is therefore wasted time both for the salesperson and for the operator.